It took years, even centuries, for the shower to finally stand on its own away from the tub. Today, it’s the focal point in the bathroom and adds an undeniable resale value to your home. It’s often the one thing that wakes you up in the morning and the one thing that can calm you at the end of the day.

In addition to choosing the right tiled walls, multi-spray shower head, and perfect lighting, you’ll also want to consider the shower door. The shower door is what sets the tone for the shower’s overall appearance and harmonizes the rest of your bathroom’s décor. Whether you’re looking for spa-like and invisible or framed and attention-worthy, there’s a shower door to suit every bathroom style. Keep reading for your ultimate guide to glass shower doors in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Select a Style

Regardless of where you want your shower, the design requires one of the following mounting options:

  • Framed – Which features a metal frame around all four edges of the operating doors. In addition, metal channels framing the shower opening allow for hinges that attach swinging doors or the gliding motion of sliding doors. Framed glass doors are created to fit standard shower openings.
  • Semi-framed– Option vary but may include framing around the entire shower opening but not around the actual door panels Semi-framed lends itself to some creative trends in headers, like exposed industrial-style hardware with rollers and bars that suggest barn door hardware.
  • Frameless– Not completely without hardware, frameless is still the way to go if you want an open, seamless effect. Advances in hardware engineering and glass manufacturing make this type of installation appear to float. Glass panels attach to hinges that then attach to walls. There is commonly a combination of a fixed panel and a swinging door.
  • Freestanding– More expensive than most, this mounting style consist of a shower pan with a four-sided metal framework in which glass panels fit, one of them a door.

The style you choose for your glass shower can be based mostly on your taste. However, you also need to assess the bathroom space for quirks such as:

  • dimensions from ceiling-to-floor
  • plumbing lines
  • walls and floors that are not plumbable

A contractor can help you determine the best location for the shower, including making sure that the walls can bear the weight of frameless doors.

Find the Perfect Door

Once you decide where the shower is placed, you can determine a door style best fit for the space and your preferences. Always ask yourself if there is enough room for the door to swing open or can the width handle sliding doors. Here are some factors to consider when selecting door styles:

  • Door and panel: one narrow pane is fixed to the wall while next to it, a panel is fixed with hinges to the other wall and operates as the door
  • Sliding: two panels fit in a frame and slide in either direction to open or close
  • Swing or pivot: a single pane attached to a wall swings open from the left or right
  • Butterfly or bi-fold: two equal-size panels are hinged at the center to open inward
  • Fixed: a single pane of glass attached to the wall holding the showerhead protects the bathroom from splashes; the rest of the shower opening remains uncovered

Pick Your Finishes

Once you select your mounting and door style, you’ll choose a finish for the frame and its accompanying pieces—hinges and hardware. A good rule of thumb is to choose the finish that matches your shower head and any other shower fittings, like a hand shower or jets. Options vary but include brushed, nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, and chrome.

The Premier Frameless Shower Door and Glass Company in Danvers

The shower has come a long way – and the shower door is a seemingly small, yet often overlooked feature that makes a huge impact on the look and feel of your bathroom. Many people underestimate how the right glass shower door can make your daily ritual feel more relaxed and enjoyable.

At Image Glassworks, we specialize in frameless shower doors and understand designing and choosing a frameless shower door that fits within your budget can be a stressful task. While researching shower doors, sometimes the options may seem endless, and that’s why we’re here! With years of experience, we can provide the professional guidance you need. Call us today, or contact us online to schedule a free estimate.